Ukraine refutes Putin’s assertion of Russian forces recapturing Kursk

The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assertion on Saturday that Russian troops had successfully regained control of the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an offensive last year.

In a statement after Putin made the announcement, the Ukrainian military says their operation “in certain areas in the Kursk region continues.”

Ukraine’s response described the situation as “challenging,” emphasizing that “our forces are still maintaining certain positions.” The statement dismissed Putin’s declaration as mere “propaganda,” denouncing its credibility.

Ukraine said it also still has active troops in certain areas of the Belgorod region of Russia.

In a video statement Saturday, Putin claimed that Russian forces have retaken all of Kursk, the Russian region northeast of Ukraine where Ukrainian forces had launched an offensive and managed to hold territory since the summer of 2024.

Putin congratulated military personnel and said Ukraine’s offensive “has completely failed.”

Moscow had been trying to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk since they seized a chunk of the border region in a daring August offensive, marking the first time that Kyiv’s forces had seized and held significant Russian territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

Russian forces, supported by North Korean troops, had been slowly trying to reclaim ground in the region over the past several months.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, criticized the recent attacks by Russia in Ukraine, suggesting on his social media platform Saturday that Putin may not want to stop the war in Ukraine.

“With all of that being said, there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said.